


Adam The Frog

by StuffRocksInnit



Category: The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Original Character Death(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-04
Updated: 2009-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 19:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21523660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StuffRocksInnit/pseuds/StuffRocksInnit
Summary: Adam The Frog had always had a normal, froggy life. Until, that is, a certain witch and her were cat picked him up.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. When Adam Met Angela And Solembum

A frog hopped through the long grass surrounding Terim. His name was Adam, and he was quite a normal frog. He was going about his business, looking for juicy flies, as he did everyday.

Suddenly, a giant hand swooped down from out of the sky and scooped him up. He gave a loud, very unbecoming croak, but the hand didn't let him go. "A nice specimen. He'll do nicely," said Angela as she looked down on the frog. "And it's definitely a frog, not a toad." Then she laughed. "Of course, it couldn't be a toad. Toads don't exist! And here is my proof! Or part of it, anyway," she said, looking sadly down at Adam the frog. 

_Yes, we will have to get many more to prove that toads do not exist,_ said Solembum, as he stared up at Angela's pensive face. _What are you thinking, anyway?_

"Oh, nothing," Angela waved the question away with an extravagant flick of her right hand. "Come on, Solembum; let's get back to the shop. I need to open before the mid-morning wave of customers dies down." Solembum sighed, and followed her back towards the tall gates of the great city.

In Angela's hand, Adam had listened to the exchange with a growing sense of foreboding. Adam was a clever frog, and knew that toads did in fact exist, and had met many in his time. So why this silly human and her werecat were trying to prove otherwise was a mystery to him. He wondered whether to be scared, and croak, but thought that he might as well see where these adventures lead him to. He liked his normal, froggy life in the grass, looking for flies all day, but he couldn't help feeling that if the time came when he was presented with an adventure, he shouldn't hold back. He felt that he should throw himself into it with a sense of expectation of high drama. So he happily sat in the hand of Angela the witch as she walked back into Terim, happy in the knowledge that he would soon be having adventures to die for, and, as an added bonus, would probably be fed well, too. "As long as I'm not fed to the cat!" was his last thought on the matter, as the strong gates of Terim closed behind them.


	2. Glass Houses And Coded Croaking

Well, though Adam, this is nice! I can smell flies round here someplace…

His thoughts were interrupted by Angela. "I think our toad friend should live here, in this glass box sort of thing."

She pulled a large, glass-fronted box out of a cabinet at the back of the store room they were standing in.

 _I would like that, if I were a frog,_ said Solembum.

"Then it's decided!" Angela cooed, and bustled back into the front of the shop.

 _Come on, frog,_ Solembum lead Adam out after Angela.

Angela had noticed that Adam was a clever frog, and thought that he should be house-trained. So he followed Solembum everywhere, and sat still while they did business.

Adam was happy about this, and had had a brilliant day with them in the shop. He wasn't worried about the other frogs worrying about him, as none of them cared for him.

Actually, thought Adam, as he jumped up to the counter, I wasn't that well off, out there. At least here people like me. In fact, people think I'm special!

This was true, as all the people who had come in so far that day had noticed him and commented on his fine looks, and asked what he was there for.

They would then be treated to a long lecture from Angela about her theory's on the non existence of toads. _I bet they wish they hadn't asked,_ smirked Solembum as another dazed shopper left the dark shop.

The question of where Adam was going to stay while he was there came up as they were shutting up shop for the day. Angela at bustled into the storeroom in her busy fashion and almost instantly pulled out the glass-fronted box. _It's like she knows all of what's in there, and where,_ Solembum had commented as they watched her.

Solembum liked talking to Adam. Adam, of course, being a frog, couldn't speak, but Solembum found comfort in relaying what he was thinking to another being, and Adam answered with an ever growing variation of croaks. Angela hadn't noticed.

Adam settled down on his new grass bed inside his new glass house, and wondered how, just 24 hours earlier, he had been happy hopping around in the grass outside Terim day in, day out.


	3. Moonflowers And Abstract Art

"Wake up! Wake up! It's an important day today!" Angela ran through the shop, shouting at the top of her voice. Adam woke with a start. He looked around his small glass fronted house.

Solembum looked in on Adam. _If frogs could smile, you'd be grinning all over your face,_ he stated.

Angela looked over. "Yes, yes, alright, it doesn't matter at this moment in time does it?" she squawked.

 _What is the matter with you?_ Solembum asked crossly. "Today is one of the busiest days in the whole year, as it is the night of the full moon of June tonight!"

 _And that means?_ Asked Solembum, watching Angela as she rushed around the shop, rearranging things here, moving other things from shelf to shelf.

"What it means is," said Angela breathlessly, "is that tonight, I and many other healers and witches and medicine women and men will be gathering outside Terim to look for the sacred flowers of the moon."

Adam looked up. He had never heard of a flower of the moon. Obviously Solembum hadn't either. _What's that? I never heard you talk about that flower before._

"Well, this is the first year I have heard about it. But it's said to be able to cure many things, which I won't bother to list. When not in the light of the full moon of the month of June, the moon flower looks just like a blade of grass. But when it is in the light of the moon, it turns into a beautiful little purple flower, and you can pick it. That's what I'm going to be doing tonight."

 _Right, so what are_ we _going to do?_ Asked Solembum. "I don't know. You can do what you want." Angela turned around and went back to her rearranging.

 _Looks like it's just gonna be me and you tonight, buddy,_ Solembum said to Adam. Adam croaked loudly.

It was the middle of the night, and a bright full moon blazed down on Terim and the surrounding area.

Angela and her fellows had been looking for hours, and everyone had already found a flower. They were looking for more, but really one was enough.

Angela was pleased with her find. It was quite a big flower, and in the peak of health. People will flock to my shop now! She thought.

Meanwhile, at home, Solembum and Adam were having a grand time. They had already raided the food cupboard many times and were now in the process of mucking up one of Angela's canvases that she kept stacked against one of the walls in the storeroom. It looked very good, Solembum thought, an abstract mix of paw prints and frog prints. Angela would love it.

At that very moment, Angela returned home. "Solembum! Adam! Where are you?!" she called. _Back here,_ Solembum replied.

Angela walked in and saw the mess that they had created. "What is that!" she shouted. _Oh, this? This is our masterpiece! Don't you just love it?_ Solembum smirked at the expression on Angela's face.

"I guess it could work…" But she looked doubtful. _But it's a masterpiece of modern art!_ Solembum pretended to be distressed.

"Fine, I'll find somewhere to hang it," Angela stormed out of the back room.

While Solembum smirked, Adam wandered vaguely what Angela mean by hanging their painting.


	4. Advertisement and More Rat Guts!

The picture hung pride of place over the mantelpiece in Angela's room. Solembum looked on proudly, Adam confused. What, he thought, is the meaning of hanging it there?

Solembum was very proud of his achievement. _My first masterpiece,_ he told Adam. Our masterpiece, Adam thought, giving a long, annoyed croak. Solembum took no notice.

"Well, what are you all looking at? You've seen the painting, now maybe you'd like to come and help front of store?" Angela's loud voice pieced their thoughts.

 _Help front of store? We never do anything, she's just trying to get us out of her room,_ Solembum huffed.

Adam croaked in agreement, and followed Solembum.

Angela stomped round, collecting herbs for some potion she was trying. _What are you doing?_ asked Solembum. "Making a potion," Angela snapped. _Yes, but what for?_ "What do I usually make potions for? I'm going to sell it, if it works. Now, get on with work," Angela carried on stomping.

 _Angela, what are we meant to be doing, exactly?_ Solembum asked.

"Well…" Angela stopped, looking confused. "I don't know." Solembum sat on the counter and stared at her, and she stared back.

"Wait, I've got it!" she cried, her face lighting up. "You two need to think of something to do to get us more customers!"

 _A publicity stunt?_ Solembum said. If he had had eyebrows, one certainly would have been raised.

"Yes!" cried Angela, "find something that will make people come to the shop!" Then she turned and went back to potion-making, leaving frog and werecat confused and slightly dazed.

 _Angela's shop! Come and find magic inside! Any and all herbs sold!_ People stared at the cat standing outside a small shop, thinking they were going mad. A talking cat? Impossible! But there he was, mentally shouting an advertisement about the shop he was standing in front of.

Solembum was quite proud of his achievement. Since he had been standing outside with Adam, many more people had been curiously looking into the shop, most coming out holding some bag of something.

Adam hadn't been doing much, just sitting outside next to Solembum, with people giving him a few curious glances, but only for a few seconds. After all, he was only a frog, untalking and interesting next to a talking cat. He didn't mind much. He didn't want to be noticed.

At the end of the day, cat and frog came back into the shop, glowing with pride. Angela was nowhere to be seen, however.

 _Angela? Where are you?_ Solembum called.

"Back here!" they heard Angela call. They walked to the storeroom, where they found Angela leaning over with half her body hidden in a large box marked 'Rat Guts'.

 _Ewww, Rat Guts!_ cried Solembum. "Yes, I need more, I didn't have much this morning and I sold my last to a man from Narda this afternoon,"

_Yes, thanks to our selling techniques! We pulled in loads of people!_

"I told you publicity was a good idea! You'll have to do it tomorrow as well!" Angela beamed.

Solembum looked miffed. _But it was our idea to stand in front of the store!_ he cried. "Yes, but you wouldn't have done that if I hadn't set you on to it," Angela pointed out.

Solembum stalked out, tail held high. Adam croaked. Angela looked at him. "Well, come on Adam. Let's get you to bed. Gods knows, I need my bed. I did so much business today, I'm shattered!"

She scooped Adam up and carried him out to the counter, where she put him down carefully in his house. A growly noise came from the top of the shelves. "And goodnight to you too!" Angela called up to where the cat was lurking in the shadows.

Adam snuggled down on his grass bed, and closed his tired eyes.


	5. And In The End, A Pale Moon Rises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the last chapter of Adam the Frog. I decided to end it here, because it wasn't really going anywhere and I'm trying to wrap up all my loose ends. So I thought I'd give this story a great and memorable end, to do it justice.
> 
> I hope you all think it's good enough for our little friend.

Urgh, thought Adam as he gave a little froggy cough. This smoke was getting everywhere.

 _Alright there Adam?_ Solembum asked. Adam gave him a look. _The smoke, I know._ Solembum nodded sympathetically. _But there's not much I can do about that, old friend._

Adam and Solembum understood each other. They had travelled with Angela together for a long time now, and Solembum had come to interpret Adam's croaks and silences with startling accuracy.

Since they had first met and helped in the shop together in Terim, they had gone to Tronjheim, capital city of the dwarves, and participated in a great battle. Well, Adam had watched, but they glossed over that fact.

They had lived with the Varden and met many famous people, including the dragon rider Eragon (who also just happened to be the boy Solembum had once spoken to in their shop all the way back in Terim. Funny how these things happen, isn't it?).

They had travelled long and hard to Surda, where Adam had almost died because of the intense heat. Angela had managed to save him, but he still would rather move to someplace else.

After living in the castle for a long while, they had set out with the Varden to a place called the Burning Plains, which was where the Varden was now camped. Just across no man's land was the great army of Galbatorix and the Empire.

Adam coughed again. Stupid smoke, he thought. Stupid Surda.

 _You really don't like it here, eh little buddy? Too bad. I'm not so fond of this place myself._ Solembum sniffed the air. _It has a bad feeling about it._

Adam nodded.

Together they sat on the small hillside and watched the clouds rolling and boiling over the deceased land.

/

Adam croaked and hopped out of Angela's hand and into the long grass. She leaned back up and wiped away a tear. The old frog hopped tiredly through the grass, nibbling at this and that every so often.

Solembum, beside her, would have also been in tears, had werecats been able to cry. As it was, he just looked on with an immense sadness as his oldest and closest friend hopped away to the place where he had first been found.

"It's better like this. He can die in his own surroundings," Angela sniffed. Solembum merely nodded.

Adam was out of sight now, so werecat and witch turned with heavy hearts and walked back to the city of Terim. They were the last people inside as the gates began to close, the setting sun painting everything a beautiful gold.

And Adam hopped back through the grass of Terim, hoping to find some of his old friends. Then he could tell them of his adventures. How he had been a travelling frog, and had seen the death of the worst tyrant the land had ever known, and witnessed the creation of a new age. How he had been part of it.

But he was tired. His old frog legs had done too much hopping, his old heart tired of the endless beats. But, he mused as he lay down to rest, he had done great things. Things he had been so proud of. He had had the best friends a frog could ever have had, and seen things and met people no other frog could even dream of. So, he thought as he slipped off to sleep, he was happy. Happy with the way things had turned out, happy that his life had not been spent in this grass. He closed his tired frog eyes and drifted into an everlasting sleep, happy and content with his life.

And as the moon came out, raising her pretty head above the land of Alagaesia, her pale fingers softly illuminating all that had changed since the start of the little frog's adventure, the velvet tendrils caught the white brilliance of sails. Far out to sea, a ship crested the small waves, heading into the west. On and on, away from Alagaesia, the single ship sailed, her brilliant white sails caught by moonlight.

And as Adam's small soul lifted from his small body, it found itself joyously free, no longer tired from the many years of life. It soared through the sky, and danced in the luminescence of the brilliant white sails of the ship, and headed with it into the west.

_And in the East,_

_A pale moon rises,_

_The ships have come,_

_To bear thee home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I REALLY love that. I never thought I could be so sentimental about a frog.
> 
> But I am. Sadly, Adam has left us, and here concludes our story.
> 
> I hope you all loved it as much as I did.
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
